Guess Why Kansas State Lost The Pinstrip Bowl

This ones a doozy

Coffman, who played brilliantly in his last college game, led the (Kansas State) Wildcats into Syracuse territory and connected with Hilburn near the sideline about 10 yards down field. After winning a footrace to the end zone, he dropped the ball, did a quick salute and turned to celebrate with his teammates.

The flags came flying and the 2-point attempt turned into a desperation play.

That’s right, campers, K State was given a penalty for excessive celebration for…..throwing a quick salute (picture available at the link). In a time when we have troops fighting two wars, this is simply despicable. Tom Fornelli agrees

It was a terrible call, and at possibly the worst time it could have been made.  Kansas State fans, and college football fans have every right to be angry with the official who made the call, and reportedly told Hilburn “wrong choice, buddy” as he threw the flag.  Still, we can all be as angry with the official as we want to be, but I worry that we might be shooting the messenger here.

Yes, it was a terrible call, but the penalty wasn’t what’s truly terrible about all of this.  The fact that a player celebrating a touchdown is illegal in the first place is what’s truly terrible.

These are kids out there on the playing field, are they not?  Maybe the NCAA and the schools forget that from time to time because they’re so busy counting the money that these kids make for them.  It’s because of this stupid rule that a kid goes from the elation he was feeling for possibly saving the day for his teammates to wanting to crawl under a rock knowing that he just cost those teammates the game.

It was just a tiny salute aimed at the crow. Hilburn wasn’t showing anyone up. A truly disgusting call.

Crossed at Right Wing News and Stop The ACLU.

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13 Responses to “Guess Why Kansas State Lost The Pinstrip Bowl”

  1. gitarcarver says:

    Kansas State lost because they failed to score more points than Syracuse. There are many plays in a game and seldom does one moment ever determine the outcome of a game.

    If you want to talk about this call, fine. The kid scores, and instead of turning to his teammates – you know, the guys ran other routes, blocked, and threw the ball – he decided to say “hey! Look at me! Look what I just did!”

    He decided to put himself up on the podium rather than his team.

    That is a penalty.

    No sympathy here.

  2. captainfish says:

    Oh come on gitarcarver. Sports is about teamwork, yes, but it is also about one’s self and how far you can push your own self to excel. These kids work hard at two sports, or more, with school being one of them. Sports is supposed to be fun and about conquering your opponent.

    The game IS NOT about trying to keep the other team from feeling bad about letting the other team score.

    Let the kid’s celebrate. I am sick of how the college and pro league are turning this game in to a non-celebratory sport.

    THEY SCORE, let them celebrate. (however, I would say that using props in your celebration, like a pen or the goal marker is a bit much)

  3. gitarcarver says:

    Let the kid’s celebrate.

    They can celebrate. Thousands of kids celebrate every year and do it without drawing a penalty or flag.

    THEY SCORE, let them celebrate.

    Once again, they can celebrate.

    This game wasn’t lost on a call made by the referee. There were other plays that factored into it (such as the fake field goal that was ill-advised at best.)

    I am all for celebrating. But with anything, there is a time, place and manner to do so.

  4. captainfish says:

    Hi gitarcarver,
    I agree that they should be allowed to celebrate and that the game was not specifically lost due to that one penalty,…. But, sports fans can always point to one or a few plays that “turned the game” for one team over the other.

    But, to flag a player who throws up a salute…. What if he was saluting a family member? At least he was not throwing up gang symbols.

    Recently, referees flagged players for showing their team’s hand-signs – such as the “O” hand sign for Oregon Ducks. After that, the refs were chastised for it.

    A military-style salute is far less egregious.

  5. captainfish says:

    Hey Teach, You sure about that Headline??? chuckle

  6. John Ryan says:

    Most people thought that the Black player who threw up the “O” salute was saluting Obama. And Teach that play was flagged by more than ONE official.

  7. […] to the morons who make the rules for college football having fun is bad! William Teach is fired up over this! Coffman, who played brilliantly in his last college game, led the (Kansas State) Wildcats into […]

  8. gitarcarver says:

    But, to flag a player who throws up a salute…. What if he was saluting a family member?

    It is still under the rule as “drawing attention to yourself.”

    Recently, referees flagged players for showing their team’s hand-signs – such as the “O” hand sign for Oregon Ducks

    I can’t find any reference to what you are saying here.

    Even so, the PAC-10 should have a rule where Oregon is penalized for wearing those awful uniforms and damaging people’s eyes.

  9. captainfish says:

    As for the rule:
    Excessive celebration is rule 9-2-1d, which states a penalty is called for:
    “Any delayed, excessive, prolonged or choreographed act by which a player attempts to focus attention on himself (or themselves).”

    To me, that is the driving force behind the rule. Was it excessive, prolonged and choreographed??? Was those excessive, prolonged and choreographed actions designed to draw attention to himself?

    No.

    And, it seems things will only get worse:
    However, in 2011 the score will be wiped out and the penalty marked off from the spot of the foul. God forbid the players are allowed to have any personality.

    To the other incident I mentioned. I think I confused the Ducks game for the Ohio State game.

  10. gitarcarver says:

    No.

    Yes. It was choreographed. It was excessive as it wasn’t needed.

    However, in 2011 the score will be wiped out and the penalty marked off from the spot of the foul. God forbid the players are allowed to have any personality.

    Except the end zone celebration will not be affected. This rule addresses the incidents of taunting, diving into the endzone, etc.

    Those are blatantly unsportsmanlike and should be penalized.

    That is not “worse,” that is better – much better.

    To the other incident I mentioned

    Look at the gloves.

    One word: props.

    You were against props before and now you seem to say that you are supporting them.

    Tell ya what…… the next time you get a promotion, run around the office screaming “look at me! I am great! I beat all of you out for the promotion!”

    After you get up off your back when someone punches your lights out, tell us how that was a classy thing to do.

    By the way, seemingly small incidents on a field lead to this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AgxjZIN2PAE&feature=youtu.be

  11. captainfish says:

    gitarcarver,
    almost all football players now wear gloves. What does that have to do with it?

    If you are referring to the design on the inside of the gloves.. oh well. That’s a design. The players and fans have long made the shape of an O with their hands long before these gloves came out. Many other teams also have an inner design pattern that, should they make the O design with THEIR hands, they would also make a double O. But, I doubt Florida State would do that – the team I am currently watching and describing.

    And doing a salute is not choreographed. “choregraphed” is when several players join together and do a dance or skit, or when a player pulls out a pen and signs the ball, or when something is planned before hand.

    Would you also flag those receivers or safeties that pull off a great play and prance around after wards? Or a running back throwing his arms out in a first down signal? Or a Quarterback thrusting his arms up in the air and running around the field after throwing a TD pass?

    How about when players throw the ball down hard after scoring? How about the celebrations when the player screams his head off?

    How about those celebrations when the other team members all surround the successful player and lift him up, shake him up, and thomp him over to give him praise for his actions?!!?

    Sports is all about a winner and a loser. Sports is all about hyping up a single player ala Heisman Trophy. Even the Draft system is about singling out a single person’s success and another’s failure.

    And, your video is apples-to-oranges. Your video hypes up a very angry player violently attacking a ref after being caught slugging another player. THAT is not the same as celebrating after a big score.

    Which in BBall also happens regularly when a player scores an impressive bucket.

  12. […] Pirate’s Cove is talking about Kansas State’s game against Syracuse and Adrian Hilburn&#8… that drew an unsportmanslike conduct penalty. Who knows, maybe there soldier, sailors, marines or coast guard in the stands. […]

  13. gitarcarver says:

    That’s a design.

    No, that is a prop. The design is what makes it a prop.

    when something is planned before hand.

    The NCAA disagrees with you. “Choreographed” is something that is planned and outside the normal celebration. Thus, the “salute” was choreographed.

    ANd by the way, you mean that the glove in the Ohio State game magically appeared? It wasn’t planned and designed before hand?

    Would you also flag those receivers or safeties that pull off a great play and prance around after wards?

    Yes. As long as the same criteria is applied. In the KState game, the back judge tells the player to give him the ball and head back to the sideline. The player makes the salute. The player was warned, and then did the crime. I can understand players getting caught up in the moment, but once they are warned to stop, they proceed at their own risk.

    How about those celebrations when the other team members all surround the successful player

    You mean celebrate with their teammates without a prop, demeaning the other team, or calling attention to themselves? You mean the type of celebration that by rule is legal?

    Sports is all about a winner and a loser.

    Then there is no need to salute or prance or pose or do anything else that is unsportsmanlike.

    Which in BBall also happens regularly when a player scores an impressive bucket.

    I hate to tell you this, but the incident took place after earlier in the game the player that threw the punch scored a basket and posed on the other player. The term is “posterized” him.

    No foul was called.

    The event on camera came from that.

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